


Brokentooth

by Gallus



Series: Here There Be Dragons [3]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 14:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19443322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gallus/pseuds/Gallus
Summary: A cavity left untreated can lead to death(OrRosinante Voice: "I'll Keep All My Emotions Right Here...And Then One Day I'll Die."





	Brokentooth

**Author's Note:**

> man ive been posting some real self-indulgent carp lately havent i?
> 
> nothing anyone can do to make me stop just making an observation here

Rules, adults would sometimes say, are the only thing that separates us from beasts, and as the center of civilization it seemed to Rosinante that Mariejois had more rules than anywhere else in the world. Doflamingo would sometimes complain about all of the rules, but Rosinante had heard rumors of what the outside world was like, and it sounded like a scary and confusing place. How did anybody know what to do when there were so few rules?

For example, commoners usually marry whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted! Not at all like the concubines some adults took, but fully committed spouses like Mother and Father. The marriage didn't have to be between a man and a woman either, or even just two people, and to top it all off it was the person that picked their spouse, not the person's family. And all of this was not even getting into how commoners had children.

Rosinante couldn't wrap his head around the idea of marrying someone that his parents hadn't picked for him, or that a marriage could happen without the exception of at least one child. It seemed to Rosinante that having lots of rules was a good thing, it made life much easier to navigate.

Then there were, the rules regarding True-Forms, and on that topic Rosinante could easily agree with his brother that there were too many. Rosinante had long given up on trying to understand all of the True-Form rules. All Rosinante knew for certain was that it was vulgar to assume them except under very specific circumstances.

There was one problem with that plan though, and it was that for as long as Rosinante could remember he had always felt to small for his own body. He was always having to concentrate on keeping It in, on not letting It stretch out or be visible. Rosinante quickly learned how hide the sighs of keeping It in, and how to deal with the consequences of hiding. After all, it was much better he be made fun of for growing his hair out over his face, than have everyone see how his eyes were wrong. Better to be distracted all the time keeping It pushed down, even if that meant he was constantly covered in scrapes and bruises. Better to be known as 'Clumsy Rosi' than 'Rosi the Monster'.

–

Rosinante is five, and there’s nothing he loves more than the bedtime stories Mother sometimes tells him and his brother about the outside world. Wild stories about the faraway land of giants, and beautiful cities filled with craftsmen of every kind, and mysterious islands filled with dangerous monsters. Rosinante loves all of Mother's stories, but his favorites are the ones with brave men and women exploring the world, making friends wherever they went.

Doflamingo however, doesn’t enjoy their Mother's stories quite as much, always saying that the tales were ‘For babies.’ Rosinante didn't see what the stories had to do with babies, he had seen babies before, and all they seemed to do was cry, and eat, and sleep, and sometimes let out little puffs of smoke. They didn't have much in common at all with things like hidden golden cities, or huge sea-monsters, or people that could turn into animals, in Rosinante's personal opinion.

But Mother would always laugh off Doflamingo's complaints, saying that it was just because Doffy was in a hurry to grow up, and tell Rosinante not to pay too much attention to his brother's teasing.

Despite all of his brother's complaints Rosinante almost always caught Doflamingo listening in on the stories when he was supposedly trying to sleep, and to be perfectly honest, that was fine with Rosinante. Doffy could whine and complain all he wanted, that just meant that it was always Rosinante's turn to pick the story. Until one night, while Mother was tucking them in, Doffy asked,

“Mother? What's a 'D'?”

“'D's a letter. Yanno, like your name.” Rosinante said, a bit annoyed that his older brother was asking such a dumb question instead admiring the amazing nest he was building. Tonight Rosinante was feeling inspired by tales of floating cities, and was stacking everything on his bed as tall as it would go to make a sky-nest.

Doffy chucked a pillow across the room, it smacked into the side of Rosinante's precariously balanced nest, sending the top pillows tumbling to the ground. “I know that,” he grumbled, “I was talking about a different 'D'.”

“Boys.” Mother warned, giving the two of them a look. The pair mumbled apologies as Mother bent over to grab the fallen bedding. When she stood back up she sighed, “Now, what's this Doffy?”

“When I was out today, at the park, I heard some older kids teasing some girl. They said that a 'D' lived in the bushes, and that it was going to eat her.” Doffy said, as he settled into his bed.

“Oh, that, yes.” Said Mother, a bit uncomfortable, “Well, it's a scary story that some parents tell their children to try and make them behave.” She paused to flatten the remains of Rosinante's sky-nest, despite his protests, “Rosi dear, you'll roll off in your sleep and hurt yourself.” Then walked over to Doflamingo's bed, wayward pillow in hand, continuing, “I've personally never seen the point in trying to scare misbehav-”

“Can you tell us the story?” Cut in Doflamingo.

Mother paused, and sat down on the side of Doflamingo's bed, “Why would you want to hear such a gruesome story before bed? I don't want either of you having nightmares.” she asked.

“Please,” begged Doflamingo, “I never get to pick out stories. And besides,” Doflamingo leaned around their Mother to address Rosinante directly while grinning, “Rosi's a big kid now, he won't get scared. Right Rosi?” He asked. “

R-Right!” Rosinante agreed. “I'm five now, I'm not a baby anymore, I won't get scared, promise!” He wasn't a fan of scary stories, but Doffy had never asked to hear a specific story, so he wanted to hear what had his big brother so interested all of the sudden.

Mother sighed, “Okay, all right, so long as the two of you promise to settle down.”

–

Rosinante had only ever seen his parent's True-Forms once. He had much younger at the time, but he can still remember how breathtaking they had looked.

Mother's bright, glimmering scales. Her soft, leathery wings that seemed to stretch on forever. And her teeth, as pretty, and as sharp, as diamonds. And Father with his sleek, shining feathers. His beak, curved into what seemed to be a smile. And his deceptively elegant talons.

The monsters in Mother's story were breathtaking as well, but not in the same ways his parents had been.

–

After the story, After mother turned out the lights, and left down the hall. Doflamingo turned to his brother, and complained, “That girl in the park was so upset, I thought that was going to be a real scary story.”

Rosinante looked at the ceiling, lost in thought When his brother didn't answer back Doflamingo huffed, rolled back over, and went to sleep.

And while his brother was sleeping Rosinante was thinking about monsters. He thought about monsters with wicked fangs, and cruel flames. He thought about monsters who's only joy in the world was bringing misery to others, and who's favorite food was tiny celestials. But mostly, he thought about monsters that were like wild animals, and how those monsters used to be people.

–

Education in Mariejois is lax. Most families had a tutor, and what would be taught was a combination of the child and parents interests. However, there is one thing that was a mandatory part of all children’s education, and that was knowledge of how the blood-traitors lived.

Rosinante is seven the first time he sees one. He along with several other children are taken to a large, domed building, like a coliseum. There was a protective sheet of glass in front of the seats that stretch from the floor to the ceiling, and around the edges of the glass were sharp looking spikes that protruded outwards.

After everyone was seated a small door on the far side of the coliseum opened to reveal someone in chains being lead out be slaves.

It looked man-shaped, with its graying hair, and its spindly limbs. It was lead out into the center of the room, and chained to a post. The slaves that lead to out quickly retreated. Rosinate expected it to snap at them, but it just stood limply against the post. Now that it was a little closer Rosinante could see how its hair was matted, and ribs stuck out. 

“Now, children,” said the instructor, “pay close attention to the way the beast acts when presented with a prey item.” At that the door reopened, and a goat was shoved through. The blood-traitor went still as the goat wandered closer. Once the animal was about fifteen feet away there was a sharp snap, and the thing shifted.

It was awful the way its limbs contorted as it fell onto all fours. Its neck stretched out to snap up the goat before it was even fully done changing. When it was done eating it turned to face them. 

“Now, children,” the instructor said again, “observe its barbed tail, see how its forelimbs are its wings. It isn’t even a proper dragon, it’s some kind of wyvern.”

The wyvern yanked its neck from side to side, until it pulled the post it was chained to out of the ground. The other children shrieked, Rosinante was frozen. It took off and smashed itself against the glass, impaling itself on the spikes in the process.

The instructor paid it no mind, and continued, “As it was wild-caught we can’t be sure of its breed...” 

But Rosinante couldn’t hear her anymore.

“...No intelligence in its eyes…”

But its eyes were the same red as Rosinante’s.

“..This is what blood-traitors are like, children…”

It was screaming.

“...What will happen to you…”

It was screaming, and Rosinante could understand it.

“...Is why rules..”

It was screaming, **_“I’ll kill you! I’ll Kill you! I’ll burn all you bastards alive!”_**

-

Leaving home is a loud, messy affair, and the first few days of his family's new lives outside ever more so. Rosinante has few clear memories of those hellish days, but there is one moment that sticks out in his mind.

Shortly after Father and Mother had announced their plans of leaving the holy land, a large group of adults had gathered to try to stop them. One man yelled out, “Do you truly mean to cast aside your divine status and become a mere human?!”

“Oh, I'm human,” Father replied, “I always have been.”

Rosinante wondered what Father had meant by that, and had decided to ask after things had settled down a bit, but he never got the chance.

–

Doflamingo has always been better with his senses than Rosinante. Mother and Father said it was just because Doffy was older, and don't worry Rosi you'll grow into it soon.

Now because of those same enhanced senses Doflamingo is always jumping at shadows. Is always struggling to not retch up food that Rocinante has little trouble forcing down. Is always up at night, listening.

–

The cold has always sapped Rosinante's strength, made him tired and weak, but it never affected him the same way it did Mother. And on this northern island, without proper shelter, she's to cold to walk, to cold to eat, to cold to stay awake.

–

They've been found. The people that rip Rosinante out of Father's hold are calling him a monster, and he still doesn't know why. He thought he was doing such a good job keeping It hidden, but the people found out anyway. Now all he can do is cry as he is beaten, blindfolded, and tied up. Someone yells, _“Look, it's trying to pretend to be human!”_ Someone tries to gag him, but someone else pull the filthy cloth out of his mouth saying, _“Naw! I wan' ta hear it suffer.”_

Rosinante is dragged across the ground for what feels like an eternity. He can hear Father somewhere off to the side, begging for the mob to spare his sons. He can hear Doflamingo farther back, cursing and screaming.

The three of them are strung up against what feels like a stone wall, and Rosinante is begging for the pain to end, and the crowd is yelling _Monsters! Monsters!_ and Doflamingo is screaming, “And I'll be back,” _Wheeze,_ “to kill every last one of you!!” And then, something in the air

_Snaps_

And it all goes quiet.

Something smacks Rosinante down from the wall, and all the air rushes out of his lungs when he hits the ground. Rosinante heaves a few short breaths before he yanks the blindfold off to see what has happened.

It takes his eyes a second to adjust but he can see behind him the wall is shattered, and Rosinante can tell this is the ruins of the mansion his family lived in when they first came to this island. In front of him the entire mob lies unconscious on the ground. And beside him Father is flat on his back, being pinned down by some horrible creature.

The creature is about the size of a horse, and has wings folded up tightly against its sides. The thing is coated in dingy, ratty feathers, except for its legs, neck, and head, which are scaled, giving it the look of a reptilian vulture.

Just when Rosinante is starting to wonder if the creature has eaten his brother, it speaks. Its voice is a shrieking growl, like metal grinding against metal, but somehow, Rosinante is able to understand it, and more importantly, recognize it as Doflamingo's voice.

**_“Why did you steal my power from me?!”_ **

It has been years since Rosinante had thought about any of Mother's bedtime stories, but now, standing in front of this, this thing, that used to be Doffy, he remembers the story about the 'D' clan.

**_“There's no undoing what you've done!!”_ **

Blood-traitors that had refused the holy mantle of leadership, and instead became wild uncivilized beasts, wholly incapable of rational thought.

**_“I'll use your head as my ticket back to the holy land!!”_ **

The creature, no, _Doflamingo_ raised one of his forelimbs into the air, claws glinting like knives in the firelight. Rosinante pleaded, “Please stop! Brother stop!” Father looked straight up at Doflamingo, and started to say,

“I'm so sorry you had to have me as yo-” Doflamingo brought his claws back down on Father's chest, crushing it with a wet crack.

Rosinante couldn't- he needed- Doflamingo stretched out his wings, as if to admire them. They looked as if someone had taken a bat's wings and haphazardly stuck feathers through them. A whimper squeezed its way out of Rosinante's throat. Doflamingo's head snapped up, as if he had just remembered his brother's presence, and said with that same shrieking metal voice, **_“Rosi, you're going to have to shift too. I don't think I'm big enough to carry you yet.”_**

Rosinante thinks about monsters that used to be people, and he ran.

–

He doesn't know how long he ran. Long enough that the torchlight behind him had long since faded away, leaving him in the not quite darkness of the night. Long enough that he couldn't tell what hurt worse, the pain in his belly, or the pain in his legs. Long enough that he started to forget to keep It pushed deep down, that It started to claw Its way out of his throat.

Rosinante remembered though. He remembered before it was to late, before It could push Its way out, and make him a monster just like- a monster like-

Rosinante fell to his knees and screamed, and screamed, and forced It back down. He lay there in the dirt, sobbing, and wailing, and pulling at his hair. His only comfort was that his shrieking voice was still his own, and not the horrible metal noise his brother had made.

After the sun had risen, and it was well into the morning, Rosinante got up and started to walk. He didn't know where he was walking to, but anywhere would have to be better than here. Eventually, after what could have been hours, or minutes, or all day, Rosinante spotted a group of men in the distance. He tried to say something, yell for help, tell them to leave him alone, anything, but all that came out of his mouth were more sobs. The men noticed him just as his legs gave out again though, and as they started shouting it occurred to Rosinante that these men could have been with the mob, and were here to kill him.

Rosinante didn't have the energy to run, or to speak. Maybe could keep It pushed down far enough that the men wouldn't see that he was a monster, maybe they would think that he was just a scared child and help him. Or maybe he should tell them, maybe it would be a good thing for these men to kill him, and then there would be one less monster in the world.

One of the men was trying to talk to him, and Rosinante almost said something. Almost told the man that he was making a mistake. That Rosinante wasn't just a scared child, he was a monster, and he needed to be dealt with before It could force Its way out and hurt someone.

But then Rosinante heard the man say, “-than how about you come with me?”

And that was that.

–

Rosinante is doing better. he spends most of his days shadowing Sengoku. He wants to become a marine and help people like just like Sengoku. The doctors say that after he gain a few more pounds he can start doing strenuous physical activity again.

Rosinante usually eats his lunch with Sengoku, but today he’s busy, so Rocinante is eating alone.

Or at least he was before the wall exploded.

A huge man emerges from the new hole in the wall yelling, “Senny!”

Rosinante ducks under the table. The huge man walks over, and lifts the table up off the ground easily. “Hey, kid,” he says, “you know where Sengoku is?”

Rosinante shakes his head.

The man sighs, and sets the table back down, “Well, I guess he’ll show up soon enough.”

As if summoned by the man's words, Sengoku walks in through the door, looks at the hole in the wall, and sighs. “Garp, I have a door for a reason,” he says.

“Yeah, but only on that side of the room!” protests the huge man.

“The side you came from is outdoors!” Sengoku snaps, then he sighs, “Where’s Rosinante?”

Rocinante pokes his head out from under the table.

“Ha! So this is your kid!” the huge man pulls Rocinante up by his shirt collar. Rocinante expects the huge man to put him on his feet, but the huge man hold him up to eye level to scrutinize him.

Rocinante looks to the side. If he wasn’t overwhelmed before, then he sure is now.

Sengoku sighs again, he seems to be doing that a lot around this man, and says, “Rocinante, meet Monkey D. Garp, hero of the marines.”

The two men continue to talk, but Rocinante can’t hear them. Instead he thinks about Blood-traitors, he thinks about monsters that used to be people he thinks about the wet crack that came from Father.

Rocinante wiggles out of his shirt and runs until he can’t run anymore.

-

Rosinante is thirteen when he starts smoking to hide the burn marks on his clothes. He's, thankfully, clumsy enough that it's easy to pass off the fire damage as a result of lighter misuse, or dropped cigarette butts. Sengoku is supremely disappointed in him when he learns of the new bad habit, but Rosinante knows that the disappointment is preferable to the rejection that the truth would assuredly get him.

-

Rosinante’s time in the marines passes like a dream. He’s friendly with people, but doesn’t seem to have any actual friends. He follows the rules well enough to make commander, but never does anything particularly outstanding. At some point he takes a bite out of a strange fruit and gains the ability to make things soundproof.

Then at age twenty-two he sees the name ‘Donquixote’ in a report. He leaves for North Blue two months later.

-

He’s welcomed into the family with open arms. Doflamingo is elated to have his lost brother back. Given Rosinante’s history of childhood selective mutism Dofamingo easily buys into his cover story of being lost at sea.

After about a week of settling in Doflamingo calls Rosinante to meet with him in private. At first Rosinante is worried that he's been found out, but the truth is almost as bad.

Doflamingo takes Rosinante to the crew’s treasury, a massive room filled wall to wall with riches. Just looking at from the doorway it makes Rosinante’s fingers itch. 

Doflamingo pulls him into the room and shuts the door behind them. “I like to spend some time in here alone now and then.” he says with a wicked smile, “As my brother you’re welcome here any time.”

Then Dofamingo sets his glasses to the side, and shucks off his coat, and

_Snaps_

And where his brother was is a massive, scaled, vulture-like thing. The creature makes his way over to the piles of treasure, then flops down with a contented sigh. He’s bigger than last time Rosinante’s seen him, and his feathers are a vibrant pink instead of the dingy gray they were before.

 ** _“Come on, Rosi._** ” he says. His voice has deepened. The metal noise is less screech, and more grind now. **_“You don’t know comfort until you’ve lounged in a proper horde.”_**

The thing inside Rosinante roils. It wants. It wants, so ,so badly that It threatens to tear through his skin. With shaking hands Rosinante pulls out his notepad, and scribbles, _‘cant shift’_

Doflamingo chuckles, it’s a low noise, and says, **_“Can’t, Rosi? Or Won’t?”_**

Rosinante taps the word twice, _‘cant’_ and leaves.

He walks back to his room. When he gets there he casts a bubble of silence, and retches into his wastebasket.

-

Children are one of the Donquixote family’s main sources of new recruits. Rosinante puts on a show of hating kids to try to dissuade them from joining. Sometimes it seems like all that does is make the kids that do stay hate him, but Rosinante has managed to scare enough off to make it feel worth it.

There’s a new kid today. He’s ranting about how he doesn’t have anything to live for, and how he wants to hurt as many people as he can before he dies.

What a joke.

Rosinante throws him out a window.

-

The kid, Law, keeps coming back. Apparently he’s sick, and doesn’t have long to go. His sickness so severe that Rosinante can smell it coming off of him in waves, which is why he’s so surprised when the kid manages to sneak up and stab him in the back.

-

Law’s a weird kid.

Most of the strange behavior can be chalked up to his illness. Like how cold he is to the touch, or how gravely his voice can get when he’s in a bad mood. But then there’s things like his meticulously kept coin collection, or the strangely familiar smell that cuts through his sick-smell every once and awhile.

It all clicks into place when he overhears Law telling Buffalo Baby 5 his full name.

Rosinante thinks about crazed, red eyes. He thinks about _‘Clear signs of an animal attack’_. He thinks about monsters that used to be people.

He thinks about being a scared, starving little boy. He thinks about how kind Sengoku was.

Rosinante makes a snap decision.

-

For some reason being around Law makes keeping It down harder than it ever was around Doflamingo.

Maybe it’s the overpowering smell of sickness, or maybe it’s because he’s from a line of blood-traitors. Whatever the reason Rosinante has never been so aware of It under his skin. Almost all hours of the day he can feel It itching to get out and do… something to Law.

Rosinante refuses to let himself hurt Law. 

He lets It out a little at the hospitals that refuse to help Law. Burning something is always a good way to take the edge off, plus how dare those people treat a little boy like that.

-

Law called him ‘Cora’, and if wasn't for the fact that Law was so sick Rosinante thinks this might be the happiest he’s ever been. So of course something has to go wrong a few nights later.

Rosinante jolts awake to It trying to claw Its way out. He sits up, and looks around the campsite for what could have triggered It like this. Nothing out of the ordinary, accept for Law on the other side of the campfire shivering. Rosinante is about to try to settle back down to sleep when he hears it.

Law makes a little sound, a sort of cross between a whimper and a hiccup, and It surges forward so hard Rosinante doubles over.

His mind goes fuzzy. He needs to do something, but what? He’s sitting next to Law now. He doesn’t remember moving. Law makes that sound again, and he can’t stand it. He needs to make the sound go away. He needs to.

He casts silence over Law. The sound is gone, but that doesn't help as much as it should. There’s still something wrong. Why was Law doing that? Why did he sound so hurt?

A sound of his own claws Its way out of his throat, a rumbling growl, and he needs to, he needs to.

At the sound Law turns toward him, and It settles a little. Okay. Good. That’s fine. He lets the growl work Its way out fully, and by the time Its done Law’s not shivering quite as much. He still can’t hear Law make the noise, but he can see the way Law’s little body moves with the force of making it, the way his brow furrows.

He lies down, and carefully, so carefully, pulls Law to his chest. That’s… better. It’s not quite right. He should be bigger. He should be so sharp that nothing would ever even think of hurting Law He should be able to hold Law to his heart, and warm him up. He should be able to growl, and scare the sickness from Law’s veins

He sighs, and pushes It back down, and goes to sleep.

-

Rosinante is dying. He can practically feel the blood filling his lungs.

He can also feel It screaming to get out.

It wants to rain fire down on Doflamingo. It wants to go to Sengoku, and apologize. It wants to find Law, and take him far, far away.

Rosinante doesn’t let It. He holds the silence over Law. He thinks about monsters that used to be people. He thinks about how Law is going to grow up, and be happy.

He lets himself think, just for a moment, that maybe he wasn’t a monster.

**Author's Note:**

> The noise Law was making is the same noise that [baby crocodiles make to call their mom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvjDcbLtU5I) btw


End file.
